Kossuth
| realm = Undying Pyre Formerly: Elemental Plane of Fire, The Crimson Pillar Monte Cook, William W. Connors (1998). The Inner Planes, pp. 46-48. TSR, Inc. ISBN 9-780786-907366. | power level = Formerly: Greater deity | alignment = True neutral | sphere = Fire | portfolio = Elemental fire, purification through fire | worshipers = Druids, elemental archons of fire, fire creatures, and Thayans | cleric alignments = | holy days = None known | domains = Destruction, Fire, Renewal, Suffering | favored weapon = Tendril of Flame (spiked chain) }} Kossuth (pronounced koh-SOOTH), or the Lord of Flames is the primordial of elemental fire. Kossuth is symbolized by the holy symbol of a twining red flame and his portfolio covers elemental fire and purification through fire. He is, however, not a true god but actually an elemental primordial, a being whose power rivals that of a true deity. Worshipers ]] The church of Kossuth is rather hierarchical and mostly impersonal. The Church's aims tend to revolve around the acquisition of land, power and wealth. The followers and clerics are often of the lawful neutral alignment. Compared to the many other gods of Faerûn, Kossuth and the three other Elemental Primordials are well known for their relative silence when it comes to communication with their worshipers. However, of the four, Kossuth is the most active and vocal. Many Red wizards of Thay worship Kossuth and the Flaming Brazier of Eltabbar is supposedly the largest temple of Kossuth in all the realms. After death, bodies of worshipers are cremated. Clerical Orders within the Church of Kossuth in Thay *Burning Braziers *Black Flame Zealots *Brothers and Sisters of the Pure Flame *Order of the Salamander Worship in Zakhara On the continent of Zakhara, Kossuth is called one of the cold gods of the elments. "Cold" because those are seen as uncaring for human affairs, they are considered opposed to the Land of Fate's pervasive culture of Enlightenment. Only a few Zakharans are willing to worship a cold god in order to gain power. Relationships The supremely powerful elemental being known as Kossuth has lorded over fire since the earliest moments of the multiverse, though whether or not the contemporary Kossuth is the same, primordial being or one in a long line of similarly named successors is a matter of much conjecture. The Lord of Flames rarely intervenes in affairs in the mortal world, spending most of his time embroiled in the intrigues of the Inner Planes. Kossuth's doctrine of elemental supremacy virtually assures conflict with the other elemental lords. Kossuth is vehemently opposed to Istishia and his clergy. He is watchful of the upstart archomental Imix, who is always trying to undermine his better but while Kossuth remains clearly the true master of the element of fire, the Grand Sultan of the Efreet is the only being on the plane who holds even a slightly comparable level of power. The Firelord interacts very little with the other deities of Faerûn. Moradin and Flandal Steelskin honor him for the heat of the forge, but he barely responds. The Return of Bane pleases Kossuth, however; the two deities seem to agree on the importance of a strong religious hierarchy and have a common intolerance for the ephemeral and unpredictable nature of chaos. Domain Kossuth dwells in the Crimson Pillar, a 10 mile wide globe made of the primordial power of fire that floats over the Sea of Fire on the the Plane of Fire. It is said that the blue-white flames of the Pillar give off a heat that makes the rest of the plane seem chilly in comparison. History Noted Historical Interventions- -150 DR- Powerful Raumatharan wizards managed to summon Kossuth from his elemental home and instructed him to destroy a besieging army of hated Narfell. This he did, but he soon turned against the wizards, incinerating their city for their arrogance. The resulting conflagration consumed much of the northern coast of the Alamber Sea, and the fires of Kossuth's anger burned strong for more than a decade after his withdrawal from Toril. Perceived Historical interventions- 1357 DR: The Salamander War- Kossuth is credited with limiting this disastrous event in Thay's history, by his faithful. Without his influence, they say, the War would have turned into an even greater debacle. Time of Troubles: Kossuth is not one of the deities spotted on Faerûn during their exile of the gods by Ao. Publication history Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988) Ed Greenwood initially used Kakatal, one of Moorcock's Elemental gods as found in the original Deities & Demigods, as the elemental lord of fire for his home Dungeons & Dragons campaign set in the Forgotten Realms. As Greenwood indicated in his article "Down-to-earth Divinity" in Dragon #54 (October 1981), Moorcock's elemental gods "may later be replaced in his universe by 'official' AD&D beings as these are published".Greenwood, Ed. "Down to Earth Divinity." Dragon #54 (TSR, 1981) Kossuth first appeared in the original Manual of the Planes (1987), and was featured as one of the elemental lords for the Forgotten Realms in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Set's "Cyclopedia of the Realms" booklet (1987). Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999) Kossuth was described in the hardback Forgotten Realms Adventures (1990), the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (1993) in the "Running the Realms" booklet, and Faiths & Avatars (1996). Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (2000-2007) Kossuth appears as one of the major deities of the Forgotten Realms setting again, in Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (2001), and is further detailed in Faiths and Pantheons (2002). Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-Present) Kossuth appears in the fourth edition as a primordial. References Category:Primordials Category:True neutral primordials Category:Destruction domain deities Category:Fire domain deities Category:Renewal domain deities Category:Suffering domain deities Category:True neutral deities Category:Zakharan pantheon Category:Savage gods of Zakhara Category:Deities from the Elemental Plane of Fire Category:Primordials from the Elemental Chaos